This invention relates to an identification card of the kind including at least two and usually three, but sometimes more, resin sheets bonded together with identification data located at an interface between the sheets. In the past, the identification data has been carried on a separate sheet of paper, but through the use of modern technology involving computers and computer controlled color printers, identification data including photographs can be printed in color directly on one of the sheets of resin forming a part of the laminated card. In order that the identification data be visible, the outermost sheets or sheets on at least one side of the card are formed of transparent material.
Identification cards must be easy and inexpensive to manufacture, preferably using readily available equipment by unskilled operators. However, the cards must be durable and essentially tamper resistant to be trustworthy. These requirements are often difficult to meet. Materials that are susceptible to heat and pressure sealing, and, therefore, easy and inexpensive to laminate, often lack durability and can be readily separated by the application of heat and/or solvents in conjunction with physical manipulation. Anti-tampering features such as the use of coatings that are only visible under special lighting add to the complexity of the manufacturing process and, therefore, the expense of manufacturing such identification cards. The reliance on such coatings also necessitates the use of special equipment to determine if a card has been tampered with.